This lesson covers 30 C2 phrasal verbs on Crime, Law & Rules. At Proficiency you must distinguish particles that change meaning subtly and match register across formal and informal contexts. Complete the runner, then use the glossary below to consolidate each verb. Detailed explanations appear in Review mode once you finish the set.
give away sth or give sth away
to let someone know something that should be kept secret, often by mistake
The careless remark gave away the suspect’s true motive.
turn sb in
to report someone to the police or another authority
The suspect finally turned himself in at the station.
bring in sth or bring sth in
if a government or organisation brings in something new [e.g. law, rule], they make it exist for the first time
The government plans to bring in stricter online-safety laws.
put down sth or put sth down
to kill an animal because it is very old or very ill
The judge put down the defendant’s name for the next hearing.
spy on sb/sth
to watch secretly in order to discover information about them
The officers were accused of spying on political opponents.
count against sb/sth
to make someone or something more likely to fail
His previous conviction counted against him in court.
let out sb/sth or let sb/sth out
to allow a person or animal to leave somewhere, especially by opening a locked or closed door
The guard let the detainee out after checking the order.
shoot up
if the number, amount, or rate of something shoots up, it increases very quickly
Violent crime shot up after the local gang conflict began.
go against sth
if something goes against a rule or something you believe in, it does not obey it or agree with it
The proposed rule goes against human-rights law.
charge sb with sth
to formally accuse someone of committing a crime
The authorities charged him with fraud.
confide in sb
to tell someone things that you keep secret from other people
The witness confided in her solicitor before the trial.
knock down sb or knock sb down
to cause someone to fall to the ground by pushing or hitting them
The driver knocked down a pedestrian at the crossing.
take out sb/sth or take sb/sth out
to kill someone, or to destroy something
The police took the suspect out of the building for questioning.
level with sb
informal to tell the truth about something
Please level with the police about what you saw.
go through
if a law, plan, or deal goes through, it is officially accepted or approved
The case will go through several stages before trial.
make out sth
to claim falsely that something is true; to pretend
The investigator could not make out the number plate clearly.
hack into sth
to get into someone else’s computer system without permission in order to look at information or do something illegal
The hacker tried to hack into the police database.
get off lightly
to receive a less severe punishment than might have been expected
Because he confessed early, he got off lightly.
come under sth
to be controlled or dealt with by a particular authority
The case came under a different legal jurisdiction.
paper over sth
to hide a disagreement or difficulty and try to make people believe that there is no problem
The new policy merely papered over the deeper legal problem.
clear sb of sth
to officially decide that someone is not guilty of a crime or wrongdoing
New evidence cleared her of all charges.
let out sth or let sth out
to tell someone about something which was supposed to be a secret
A staff member let out the secret details of the investigation.
catch up with sb
if someone in authority [e.g. police, tax officials] catches up with you, they discover that you have been doing something wrong and often punish you for it
The police eventually caught up with the fugitive.
inform on sb
to give information about someone who has done something wrong to a person in authority, especially the police
The frightened witness refused to inform on her friend.
let off sb or let sb off
to not punish someone who has committed a crime or done something wrong, or to not punish someone severely
The judge decided to let the first-time offender off.
get (sth) through (sth)
if a law or proposal gets through, or if someone gets a law or proposal through, it is officially accepted by a government or organisation
The lawyer got the new evidence through the court process.
play along
to pretend to agree with someone, or to do what someone wants for a short time, in order to get something from them or to avoid making them angry
The witness agreed to play along until the police arrived.
come into sth
to begin to exist or happen, or to begin to be fashionable
The stolen property came into the court’s possession.
vote on sth
to make a decision about something [e.g. proposal, motion] by counting the number of people for and against it
Parliament will vote on the proposed law tomorrow.
hand over sth
to give something or someone to another person or to an authority
The suspect had to hand over his passport to the authorities.